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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · branch · bark · spell · leaves · saw · bear · mark

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bulb — for light
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bear — the animal
  6. spell — letters
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spell — a short time
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. branch — a division
  20. mark — a trace
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. spell — magic
  24. branch — of a bank

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com